ARO 2011 is a computer maintenance program for tuning up the Microsoft® Windows® registry, removing accumulated temporary and other junk files, and verifying your security settings. A more organized and an error-free registry with less junk and active, up-to-date security settings can have a deep impact on the system performance. ARO 2011 is designed to clean up your registry from all the invalid and obsolete entries and junk files which accumulate with constant usage in a very smart and effective manner.

Why does the registry need optimization?

The Windows registry is the database containing all the information regarding the applications installed on the system and the settings of the operating system. The registry is comprised of keys and values. Each key can have many sub-keys and each sub-key can have many sub-keys. The structure is hierarchical similar to the file directories that exist on the computer. Values are the actual information stored in each key and sub-key. Obsolete and unwanted registry entries can flood the registry with normal, continuous system usage. Many times as we install some application and uninstall it later, remnants are left behind; files are deleted but a blank registry entry is still reflected. These invalid and out-of-use entries remain in the registry making it bulkier and adversely affecting the system access and response time, and overall performance may deteriorate.

The registry may also encounter fragmentation problems. Random deletions and un-installations leave empty blocks in the registry and these blank entries may cause instability, performance issues, and error messages.

Why clean up system junk?

Cleaning up system junk such as temporary files and crash dumps can increase hard disk space and may improve overall system performance.

Why does ARO 2011 do a baseline security scan?

Support.com has repaired over 1.3 million PCs. Through these efforts we have found that many customers do not have the proper security software installed or configured. Non-existent or ill-configured security software can leave a PC exposed to malware and degrade PC performance. The ARO 2011 baseline security scan checks for the existence of anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall software on your computer. If it exists, ARO 2011 then checks to see if it is properly configured. If ARO has any reason to believe your PC has a security problem, the potential issue if flagged to you for review. In some cases, the computer may have security software installed and properly configured but ARO may not detect it. If you are sure your computer is properly secured, you may ignore this message.

How can ARO 2011 help?

Windows contains a tool called Registry Editor that can be used to manually add, change, or remove registry settings. Manually making changes should only be done by an experienced systems administrator. A thorough understanding of the registry is recommended before manually editing the registry as any changes or deletions done without having a complete insight can be very harmful for the system. ARO 2011 is a one touch, easy to use, and highly advanced maintenance tool used to bring out the best in a system worn out with time.

The program automatically adapts itself to the operating system on which it runs, so you do not require any manual settings. ARO 2011 is compatible with 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, and 7.

Intel Pentium or processor equivalent to industry standards with 500 MHz or above.

128 MB RAM.

ARO License Terms

These license terms are an agreement between SDC Software, Inc. (“Support.com”) and you. Please read them. These terms apply to the ARO software (“ARO”), including the media on which you received it, if any. These terms also apply to any updates, supplements, and customer service for ARO, unless other terms accompany those items. If so, those terms apply.

By selecting “I accept the agreement” or using ARO, you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, do not select “I accept the agreement” and/or do not use ARO.

1. Use Rights. ARO is licensed on a per computer basis. If you comply with this agreement, for each license you acquire, you may install and use one copy of ARO. You may not share a license you acquire nor may you install ARO on more computers for which you have purchased licenses.

(a) Full Retail Version. If you acquire a license for the full retail version of ARO, it will contain full functionality and you will be provided customer service in the English language and updates for the period which you purchased ARO (the “Term”). After the expiration of the Term, you will continue to enjoy the right to use ARO, but you will no longer enjoy the right to customer service or updates for ARO, unless you acquire another full retail license.

(b) Evaluation Or Trial Version. If ARO is an evaluation or trial version, it may contain limited functionality and/or cease operating after the designated trial period. This license will terminate after such period unless extended by Support.com upon your acquisition of a full retail version of ARO. If ARO is an evaluation or trial version, you agree that Support.com may periodically offer you, through in-product or stand-alone reminders or email (if you provide it to us), the opportunity to upgrade to the full retail version.

2. Privacy. You should refer to Support.com’s privacy policy, available at www.support.com, prior to agreeing to these terms for a more detailed explanation of how your information may be stored and used by Support.com and third-party service providers.

3. No Performance Warranty. Support.com specifically disclaims any representation or warranty for the amount of performance increase or utility provided by ARO. ARO will not necessarily increase performance or provide a utility benefit on your computer, and Support.com makes no claim of specific deficiency, defect, or underperformance with respect to your computer. Any claims of performance increases or utility made for ARO are those of possible or potential improvement or utility, and no representation or warranty is offered that a specific utility or amount of performance increase, if any, will be realized on any particular computer. Each computer is different and the scenarios under which they are used are different, and no claim is made that any one computer or usage scenario shall result in any performance increase or utility benefit from ARO.

4. Your Feedback. If you give feedback about ARO to Support.com, you give to Support.com, without charge, the right to use that feedback for any purpose. You will not give feedback that is subject to a license that requires Support.com to license its software or documentation to third parties because we include your feedback in them. These rights survive this agreement.

5. Scope of License. ARO is licensed, not sold. ARO is protected by copyright, patent and other intellectual property laws and treaties. This agreement only gives you some rights to use ARO. Support.com reserves all other rights. Unless applicable law gives you more rights despite this limitation, you may use ARO only as expressly permitted in this agreement. In doing so, you must comply with technical limitations in ARO that only allow you to use it in certain ways. You may not:

work around the technical limitations in ARO;

reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble ARO, except and only to the extent that applicable law expressly permits, despite this limitation;

install on more computers or make more copies of ARO than specified in this agreement or allowed by applicable law, despite this limitation;

publish ARO for others to copy;

distribute ARO to any third party;

rent, lease or lend ARO; or

transfer ARO or this agreement to any third party.

6. Customer Service. Support.com may provide you with customer service related to ARO. Additional terms may govern customer service. Any supplemental software code provided to you as part of customer service or otherwise will be considered part of ARO and subject to this agreement. Support.com will provide customer service during its normal business hours. Support.com has contracted or may in the future contract with third parties to provide customer service for ARO.

7. U.S. Government Restricted Rights. ARO and its accompanying documentation are deemed to be commercial computer software as defined in FAR 12.212 and subject to restricted rights as defined in FAR Section 52.227-19 "Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights" and DFARS 227.7202, "Rights in Commercial Computer Software or Commercial Computer Software Documentation", as applicable, and any successor regulations. Any use, modification, reproduction release, performance, display or disclosure of ARO by the U.S. Government shall be solely in accordance with the terms of this agreement.

8. Export Restrictions. ARO is subject to applicable U.S. export laws and regulations. You must comply with all domestic and international export laws and regulations that apply to ARO. These laws include restrictions on destinations, end users and end use. You agree not to export ARO to any prohibited country, entity, or person for which an export license or other governmental approval is required. Obtaining necessary licenses and approvals is solely your obligation.

9. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. ARO IS LICENSED “AS-IS” AND DEFECTS MAY CAUSE IT TO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. ALTHOUGH NOT INTENDED, AS WITH ALL COMPUTER SOFTWARE, IT IS POSSIBLE A DEFECT COULD CAUSE YOUR COMPUTER TO FUNCTION IMPROPERLY. YOU BEAR THE RISK OF USING ARO. SUPPORT.COM GIVES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES, GUARANTEES OR CONDITIONS. YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL CONSUMER RIGHTS UNDER YOUR LOCAL LAWS THAT THIS AGREEMENT CANNOT CHANGE. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER YOUR LOCAL LAWS, SUPPORT.COM EXCLUDES THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. ARO IS NOT DESIGNED, INTENDED OR LICENSED FOR USE IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE CONTROLS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE OR OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, LIFE SUPPORT OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS, OR ANY OTHER USE WHERE A SOFTWARE MALFUNCTION COULD CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGE OR PERSONAL INJURY, AND SUPPORT.COM SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR SUCH PURPOSES.

10. . Limitation on and Exclusion of Damages. Support.com’s liability under this agreement is limited. You can recover from Support.com and its third-party suppliers only direct damages up to the greater of the amount that you paid for ARO OR U.S. $5.00. You cannot recover any other damages, including consequential, lost profits, special, indirect or incidental damages. This limitation applies to anything related to ARO, and any services, content (including code) on third party Internet sites, or third party programs, and claims for breach of contract, breach of warranty, guarantee or condition, strict liability, negligence, or other tort to the extent permitted by applicable law. It also applies even if Support.com knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages. The above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you because your state or country may not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental, consequential or other damages.

11. Legal Effect.This agreement describes certain legal rights between you and Support.com. You may have other rights under the laws of your state or country. You may also have rights with respect to the party from whom you acquired ARO. This agreement does not change your rights under the laws of your state or country if the laws of your state or country do not permit it to do so.

12. Applicable Law. California state law governs the interpretation of this agreement and applies to claims for breach of it, regardless of conflict of laws principles. Jurisdiction over and venue of any suit arising out of or related to this agreement will be in the state and federal courts located in Santa Clara County, California USA.

13. Entire Agreement; Severability. This agreement and any amendments to it, and the terms for supplements, updates, and customer service are the entire agreement for ARO and customer service. This agreement will be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. If for any reason any provision of this agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, then (a) such provision will be interpreted, construed or reformed to the extent reasonably required to render the same valid, enforceable and consistent with the original intent underlying such provision; (b) such provision will remain in effect to the extent that it is not invalid or unenforceable; and (c) such invalidity or unenforceability will not affect any other provision of this agreement.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other third party marks are the property of their respective owners.

SDC Software, Inc. (dba Sammsoft) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Support.com, Inc. For further queries related to ARO 2011 program contact us at support@sammsoft.com.

Status Welcome Screen

The new interface of ARO 2011 is designed for simplicity and ease of use. The main screen has sections that tell you the number of registry errors found on previous scan, your junk status, when was the last Registry Scan performed, Backup and Optimization were taken, and above all lets you to optimize system in a single click. The One Click Optimization feature enables you can scan, fix and optimize your PC quickly and easily.

The System Status block shows if any registry errors, junk files, or baseline security problems were detected on your system during the last scan, including the status of the errors found, whether fixed or pending. 13 registry areas are scanned along with reviewing a set of registry tweaks. Seven types of system junk are scanned for. And the baseline security is reviewed. ARO 2011 considers baseline security to be installed and up-to-date anti-virus, anti-spyware, and personal firewall.

Power Pack is a combination of three products available at Sammsoft and Support.com. Apart from ARO 2011, it includes MemTurbo and Hard Disk Tune-Up. MemTurbo is valuable on a PC to enhance memory performance. It reduces memory leakages, controls memory distribution among applications etc to enhance application response time. Hard Disk Tune-Up quickly defrags your hard disk to improve seek and read times.

Security

ARO 2011’s baseline security scan verifies that important security software is installed and properly configured on your PC. This includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, and personal firewall. While we designed ARO 2011’s security scan to be as accurate as possible, there are some situations that may drive inaccuracies. These situations include:

We are unable to specifically detect anti-spyware software as separate from anti-virus software in older versions of Windows®. In these cases, the status will be shown as “Unknown”.

Some security software does not register itself with Windows correctly. In these cases, we may not be able to tell that they are installed and configured correctly, when in fact they are. If ARO 2011 flags a potential baseline security issue with your PC, please review your installed security software carefully, or call Support.com directly at 1-800 PC SUPPORT and speak to a Personal Technology Expert® who can help.

Cleanup Junk

The clean up process includes scanning for registry errors, system junk, and the security baseline. Windows® and other applications store information in the registry. By installing and uninstalling software and normal day-to-day activities, the registry can begin to hold data that is no longer valid. Windows and other applications also fail to remove temporarily created files, caches and lists which can use up needed disk space and memory.

Invalid links are common in the registry. Junk files accumulate over time. It is always a good practice to regularly clean them out. The Scan System section will clean and streamline your registry, remove junk files, and verify your baseline security.

Start the cleaning process by selecting Start Scanning Now. By default, all the areas prone to registry errors and junk accumulation are selected.

During the scanning process you can view the registry keys being analyzed. At any time you can abort the scan process by clicking the Stop Scan button.

Junk and security baseline scans are also completed.

Once the scanning process is complete, ARO 2011 displays the results window that summarizes all the categories scanned and the total errors and junk found under each category. The problems found are divided into various categories so that you can easily get to know the problems under each category. The baseline security status is also displayed.

The category headings are linked to a new window that details each and every error found under that category. The error entry in the details screen describes the name of the invalid reference and the path/location referring to it or related details. By default, invalid registry entries and junk files are selected for repair or deletion. Uncheck the box Select All to exclude all the entries or manually un-select the entries which you want not to be repaired, else keep the default condition to fix all.

Click on Fix All Errors to start the removal of invalid registry entries and junk files, resulting in an error free, smooth and stable computer.

Optimize Registry

The registry plays a key role in the configuration and control of Windows® operating systems. It is the repository for both system-wide and per-user settings. The data in the registry is stored in hundreds of keys and sub-keys. Windows and programs query the registry for information constantly. With passing time, as programs are used, installed and uninstalled, data is scattered all over the registry with many free blocks in between. Think of registry database as a chart with rows and columns in a big queue. Even when the data is deleted from a registry block, it still maintains a reference to the next registry block consuming the same amount of space that it occupied before. When new items are added to the registry, they are added at the bottom in a queue. Over time, the registry ends up with many blank cells. Incomplete, corrupt, or invalid registry entries may pass invalid information to calling program causing a system or application crash, slowdowns and instability.

Querying a registry with fewer entries is faster, and optimizing the registry makes the load time shorter.

How to optimize the registry?

ARO 2011 compacts the registry to improve the performance of your computer. ARO 2011 eliminates registry fragmentation thereby giving you a fresh new registry with no data gaps. To optimize the registry, go to the Optimize tab and review the details of your last Registry optimization, if they exist. Click the button Optimize Registry Now to perform optimization.

Manage Registry Backup

ARO 2011 is designed to safely remove invalid entries and errors and optimize the registry. If you feel the removal of registry errors has caused any of your installed programs to work erroneously, or your computer is taking a lot of time to boot, or is running slow, or has affected your computer in any other way, you can always revert the state of your computer to the last known good registry. The Restore function will replace the removed keys to help diagnose any potential problems.

The Backup and Restore Registry can take backup in two ways:

Full Backups

Complete registry backups can be taken manually by clicking the Take Full Registry Backup button. When you press the button One Click Optimization on the main screen, a complete registry backup is automatically taken.

Partial Backup

Whenever you scan and clean the registry manually, after selecting the necessary registry categories, the program automatically takes backup of these categories before removing their invalid entries. This may prove essential whenever you want to restore entries of such categories.

In the Partial Backup section, the backups are maintained by date.

How to Restore?

Simply select a backup record from the Full Backups or Partial Backups section and click Restore. The registry entries on the selected date and time will be restored. You need only keep the most recent backups. Older backups may be safely deleted.

Settings

ARO 2011 allows you a large degree of control over what is scanned and repaired. The tabbed sections are:

By default all the registry areas are selected for scanning, however, you can unselect an area by un-checking it and clicking on the Apply button. Pressing the Restore Defaults button will include all the registry areas in scanning.

ARO 2011 scans the below mentioned areas in the registry for errors:

Registry Settings

Impact on system

ActiveX® and COM

An ActiveX control is a component program object that has a set of rules for how programs should share information. ActiveX and COM components are installed on the system when you browse the Internet or even install any application. These entries increase the size of the registry or can be a cause of malfunctioning of some programs. Invalid COM or ActiveX object entries in the Windows® registry can cause application failures, document and information loss, and system crashes.

Application Paths

When a program is installed, it maintains a reference to the path, to which it is located, including the file name, on the registry. If Application Path information is not correct in the registry, it may cause programs to fail. An invalid path on the registry could arise when uninstalled programs do not remove their referential entries or if the physical location of a program has changed.

File Types

There are many programs installed on a computer with relevant files associated with these programs. Invalid File Type entries occur when some file extensions refer to programs that no longer exist on a computer.

Fonts

Applications such as word processors can generate errors or crash due to corrupt fonts or invalid font entries. Invalid font entries occur when an incorrect reference to the font is present in the registry.

Help Files

When a program is installed it makes entries in the registry relating to associated help files. When this help file is deleted or moved from the folder where it was originally installed, it results in an invalid registry reference. You don’t want an application to crash when you are looking for help.

History Lists

Windows maintains registry entries of all the recently opened files on your machine. These registry entries contain paths to those files. If the file is moved form that location, or is deleted, the registry shows an invalid reference. Over time, these type of orphaned registry entries can accumulate on your system.

Shared Files

The registry includes paths of files and program libraries (”dll” files) that are used by various programs. If these files are moved or deleted, it would result in invalid registry paths.

Software

When a program is installed, it creates entries in the registry with a variety of information and configuration settings. It also creates entries to uninstall in a special area in the registry. When the program is uninstalled it should remove all the entries created by it under software or uninstall sections but some programs fail to do so and leave behind invalid entries.

Sounds

Sound files are played when certain events occur on the system. There may be entries in the registry, which point to sound files that no longer exist.

Start Menu

The Start Menu provides quick access to some programs, if programs are moved or removed from their original location, it will result in an invalid registry entry.

Startup

There may be some programs that are scheduled to be launched on Windows startup but are actually removed from the disk. This will result in an invalid registry entry.

Deep Scan

This scans everything in your HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive and will usually catch more errors than other scans. The downside is that it takes longer to complete the scanning process.

Current User

This option scans for errors in HKEY_CURRENT_USER subtree, which contains the profile of the user who is currently logged on to the computer. The user profile includes environment variables, personal program groups, desktop settings, network connections, printers, and application preferences.

Registry Tweaks

Registry Tweaks are system performance enhancements that may help improve the performance of your operating system.

Junk Settings

Impact on system

Memory Dumps

Recent Documents

Recycle Bin

Shortcuts

Taskbar Jumplist

Temporary Files

Temp Internet Files

Thumbnails

Support.com Product Improvement Program

By selecting to share anonymous information about your system issues, you help Support.com build a better product. The information shared includes the number of registry errors and junk files found as well as the results of baseline security analyses.

ARO 2011 has a section to create an Exclusion List. If you want to exclude a path from registry scanning, you can add that path into this Exclusion List. Remember that if invalid registry entries are created under the path excluded by you, ARO 2011 will not be able track or optimize those entries.

To exclude a registry section, click on Add Entry and select the section which you want to add in exclusion list. The drop-down list provides the name of the hives. To be more specific, enter the complete path of the registry key in the next box, Specify Registry Entry. Press OK to add it to the exclusions. You can delete an entry from the exclusion list by selecting the entry and clicking Delete Entry.

Skip errors due to removable media: When you install removable drives, it creates certain registry entries. But if the drive is removed, the registry references will be invalid as it will link to the drive not found on your system. However, at a later time if you are certain to use the same drive again, we suggest not to delete these errors because you will have to reinstall the drivers for the removable drive. Simply check the option to skip the registry errors displayed in such condition.